“Curls for the girls” is one of the most common saying in the gym world, or at least it used to be. We are constantly in elbow flexion as we hold our phones up to our face, sit in the car and drive an hour to work, and sit at our desks typing for hours a day. And then some people will go to the gym do a few push up and bicep curls and call it a day. Those curls may not be doing the best for you, although they may look good.

Putting more emphasis on the triceps don’t only help improve your push ups but can also help improve shoulder health and posture. The long head (one of the three heads of the triceps) originates on the scapulae. When active, the triceps extend the shoulder and elbow. Which are opposite movements then the static position we are in most of our day so it can help improve our posture, decrease some of the pesky shoulder discomfort and decrease a little of that turkey giggle many women complain about.

The following exercises are some of my favorites:

Dumbbell Lying Extensions AKA Skull Crushers

Cable Triceps Push Down

Cable Rope Extension

Machine Triceps Push Down

Note: I didn’t put any over pulls because you need to make sure your shoulders and posture are set to avoid injury!